Thursday, May 21, 2026

           At creation, God declared everything that He had made to be good. Not okay. Not acceptable. But good. Soon, everything would change. Adam and Eve would be tempted by the serpent and disobey God. Sadly, they trusted their eyes and ears more than they trusted God. Genesis 3:6-7 says, “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so, they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” This disobedience by Adam and Eve permanently changed the once good and perfect creation made by God. Sin would quickly take hold and even lead to the great flood as an act of God’s judgment upon the world and its sinfulness. Sin and the scourge of sin remain in our world today.
         Still today, we feel the lingering effects of the fall and the disobedience of Adam and Eve. But God has promised a new day. And we know by faith and the authority of the Bible that a new creation is coming. But for now, we live in a world that is fallen and is fading away. The Bible says, “For this world in its present form is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:31b). That sentence reads as a conclusion. There is not much room for debate or interpretation. We believe God’s Word is true so we also believe this conclusion is true. However, there are some life lessons for us to be found in this verse. These life lessons teach us how to live in a world that is fading while we anticipate a world that is soon coming.
         First, this world belongs to God. He made it. This world is His to do with as He pleases. The great preacher Vance Havner once noted that we might think we have good ideas about how to run the universe. But the problem is we do not have our own universe. We do not have our own world to manage either. God is free to do as He chooses with this world. He will usher in the end of time in a way and time of His choosing. Second, we are not to become too attached to this world or the things of this world. Nothing we possess will last forever (short of God’s Word and the soul He made within us). We are to set our hearts and minds on the things above (Colossians 3:1-2). We are to know the Lord and walk with Him in dependence and obedience each day. Our mission in life is not to accumulate all we can as quickly as we can. Our mission is to live for Him. Each day and breath bring us closer to seeing and knowing Him face to face.
        Third, a new world is coming. This new world will not be marred by sin, sickness, death and a slow, decaying demise. God will make a new world where He will forever dwell with His people. And we will dwell with Him free from the burdens and brokenness of this life. Jesus encouraged His disciples with this good news just hours before going to the cross. Jesus said, “My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going” (John 14:1-3). We live in anticipation of this day and this coming new place. For those who belong to Christ, we have no reason to fear death or the passing away of this world. There is a better one on the way that will last forever.
         Fourth, we trust the details of this new world to the Lord. It will be far, far better than anything we could design or even imagine. The Bible says that no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no human mind has ever conceived of the things God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9). Take your best thoughts and highest hopes and multiply them by a billion and you will still not be able to imagine what God will prepare for the world and life to come. If we are discouraged by many daily events, we need to lift our eyes and hearts to what is coming. Speak of your faith and the new world to come to those you know who need to know the Lord and need a church home. Have a great Thursday!